1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a shoe (which term is used herein generically and includes all shoe types), and more specifically to an integral storable gaiter which is permanently attached within a protective storage pouch that is located at the ankle collar of the shoe.
2. Description of Prior Art
Mountaineers, hikers, hunters, and outdoor people of many types, from bird watchers to mountainbikers, commonly have problems with moisture and debris getting in their shoes. Originally, inventors created gaiters as separate devices to be attached to shoes, as needed, in order to keep out moisture. (Gaiters come in many shapes and sizes. Since the Patent And Trademark Office first opened in 1790, there have been 529 separate inventions created under "Gaiter, Class 36"). Although useful, gaiters were not originally developed to address the need to keep debris, but rather moisture and water, from entering shoes, and suffer from several other disadvantages as well:
A typical gaiter, as defined by Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, is used in conjunction with a shoe, is a commonly manufactured article of wear designed to keep moisture from entering the shoe and is made of a flexible material leg covering reaching from the instep to ankle, mid-calf, or knee. When employed for use the gaiter is usually fastened to the shoe with strapping which runs under the instep of the shoe and is held in place by the shoe's heel which acts as a catch. Although this system keeps snow and mild amounts of moisture out of the shoe, it nevertheless has the major disadvantage of having to utilize two separate articles of wear. Since the gaiter is a separate component it often works its way loose and allows infiltration of elements into the shoe.
Also, even when worn in the snow, the strapping under the shoe's instep can become abraded when the shoe's sole comes in contact with sharp edges, such as exposed patches of dirt and rocks. This wear causes the strapping to break if not replaced, thus, causing the gaiter to become loose and completely ineffective in keeping snow and moisture from entering the shoe.
Since the strapping is highly sensitive to wear, the separate gaiter is not able to be utilized in terrain other than soft snow or sand. If worn to keep out stickers or debris such as dirt and rocks encountered while hiking, especially dry weather hiking, the strapping constantly comes in contact with sharp edges such as rocks and sticks, becomes abraded and breaks, causing the separate gaiter to become useless.
Although typical gaiters can be useful and lightweight, they are inconvenient to employ and they can easily be lost since they are separate of the shoe.
Also, since typical gaiters are separate items, users must always have enough forethought to anticipate the need for gaiters in order to bring them along before embarking on a journey. Since always knowing in advance that one will experience a situation that requires gaiters is impossible, outdoor people are more often than not encountering such situations without protection of gaiters, simply because the gaiters were left behind.
Lastly, because gaiters and shoes are separate components, the gaiters must be carried separately in one's hands or some type of separate carry sack when not being used.
Although shoes and gaiters are normally separate components, one invention known to this applicant which is a single article is U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,207 to Datson (1989). Datson has accomplished this by utilizing a closed, tubular gaiter having a lower end and an upper end with a waterproof joint between the gaiter lower end and the outer surface of the footwear, circumscribing the footwear above its sole.
Although the Datson patent accomplishes joining a gaiter to a shoe, it nevertheless suffers from a number of disadvantages:
The Datson patent is very narrowly scoped in that it was designed specifically to prevent entry of water into a shoe when its gaiter is extended and the shoe is worn across wet and swampy ground, or through creeks and rivers, or in heavy rain. In so being designed, it has the major drawback of actually being a waterproof shoe with an extendable upper (gaiter);
Additionally, the Datson patent is difficult to use due to the closed, tubular design of the extended upper (gaiter). The upper (gaiter) must be rolled down to access upper lacing flaps located on the shoe; these flaps must be laced to completely close the shoe. Thus, presumably, when not in use the extended upper (gaiter) is left in the rolled down position, but requires the shoe wearer to unsnap the front gusset of the rolled down upper (gaiter) in order to access the upper lacing flaps.
Another major drawback to the Datson Patent is that the upper (gaiter) is left exposed when not in use, i.e., in the rolled down, non-use position, thus, leaving it susceptible to damage.
Also, the Datson patent simply does not possess a neat and uniform appearance of typical footwear when the extended upper (gaiter) is in the rolled down, non-use position.
Finally, the result of the Datson patent is a cumbersome article of footwear with no practical functional purpose other than its single specific intended design use.